Union nurses at West Penn Hospital vote to authorize strike
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -— Union nurses at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh voted Tuesday to authorize a strike, according to a news release from SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania.
The news release said the nurses voted 99.3% in favor of "authorizing their negotiating committee to send a strike notice if necessary."
"We are united for our patients and we are not backing down. While we have made some progress in our negotiations, we have not seen AHN commit to the levels of investment necessary to keep nurses at the bedside." Kari Xander, a neonatal intensive care nurse and union president at West Penn, said in the news release. "We don't want to strike, but we're ready to take action for our patients."
A date for a strike at West Penn Hospital has not been set, according to the news release.
West Penn Hospital nurses want new contract
Tuesday's vote came after the union said they failed to reach an agreement with Allegheny Health Network last week. West Penn nurses have been negotiating with AHN to improve patient care, nurse retention and recruitment.
"We haven't yet seen administration agree to a serious investment in nursing that would turn this tide," ER nurse Jordan Mankiewicz said on Aug. 14.
According to a study from the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, the commonwealth has one of the worst shortages of nurses in the United States, with 20,000 unfilled positions.
"We need to hire 100 additional nurses to ensure the highest level of care for our patients," McKenzie Reed, a critical care nurse, said on Aug. 14. "That's why we are here to demand that AHN make major investments in the nurse workforce just like they did at AGH."
"We don't want to go on strike. But make no bones about it. We're sure the hell not afraid of it either," Darrin Kelly of the Allegheny/Fayette Labor Council said last week during the rally.